My first build: A short scale 4 string has a nice sound but a kind of dull resonance. has anyone found the same thing? I braced the insides with pieces of scrap wood and recently glued the neck to the box which seemed to slightly reduce this. It got me thinking about the acoustic properties of spaces, as i think it is something to do with the compression of air inside the box?????
Any thoughts?
Maybe being a bit of a pedant, but I have been playing a lot of robert Johnson on my Avalon acoustic and translating to my builds and feel i am getting close to the sound i want but not quite.
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I have built using wood, bone, and brass as a bridge. My standard is now wood.
Add a bone nut. That'll brighten it up and add a bit of volume.
Bone or wood/bone saddle.
My favorite player (right now) has both and it is my fav for acoustic tone.
Plug it in .... I use a cheapo Danelectro eq pedal ( fish & chips) and a Peavey Microbass amp ... and rock the world.
Is there such a thing as Rockabilly/oldtime/punk/gospel?
lets see a pic . . . . . I also recommend a wood bridge. The metal bridges can take away some of the power of the sound accoustically in my experience.
Maybe cheat a little bit and try switching strings to get a tick higher pitch, that might make the difference.
I've saved a couple of instruments doing that to try and avoid tearing it down and starting over.
It worked for me.
Conventional wisdom here at CBN says that you can increase acoustic sound / resonance by:
- Ensuring that a through-neck touches the soundboard as little as possible (typically by cutting a dado in it, perhaps reinforcing on the bottom).
- Using the deepest available box.
- Using the thinnest possible wood for the soundboard (this is why some builders use the bottom, is it is often thinner, or bare.
- Removing any paper attached to the soundboard.
- Using a higher bridge (sharper break over the bridge transfers more of the strings' vibrational energy to the soundboard); note that this often requires adding some angle to the neck, to keep the action low enough.
Replies
Any recommendations for where to put the bridge for maximum acoustic volume? Which positions bring which tones?
Closer to the center should give a warmer "meatier" tone and slightly louder volume. The closer to the edge you get, the "brighter" the sound.
BUT.....
placement of sound holes, string angle at the bridge, and other factors all effect each other
The footprint of the bridge (size of the part touching the box) can effect the tone too.
Any recommendations for where to put the bridge for maximum acoustic volume? Which positions bring which tones?
Add a bone nut. That'll brighten it up and add a bit of volume.
Bone or wood/bone saddle.
My favorite player (right now) has both and it is my fav for acoustic tone.
Plug it in .... I use a cheapo Danelectro eq pedal ( fish & chips) and a Peavey Microbass amp ... and rock the world.
Is there such a thing as Rockabilly/oldtime/punk/gospel?
Matt
I've saved a couple of instruments doing that to try and avoid tearing it down and starting over.
It worked for me.
Where you place the bridge on the "body" can make a big difference in how much sound you get and the tone (warm/bright) you get.
- Ensuring that a through-neck touches the soundboard as little as possible (typically by cutting a dado in it, perhaps reinforcing on the bottom).
- Using the deepest available box.
- Using the thinnest possible wood for the soundboard (this is why some builders use the bottom, is it is often thinner, or bare.
- Removing any paper attached to the soundboard.
- Using a higher bridge (sharper break over the bridge transfers more of the strings' vibrational energy to the soundboard); note that this often requires adding some angle to the neck, to keep the action low enough.
YMMV, of course.